Lebanon's new prime minister-designate, Najib Mikati, on Tuesday held consultations with political parties that he said "unanimously" agreed on the need to put together a government quickly to rescue the crisis-hit country, AFP reported.
Mikati, a billionaire who has already twice served as prime minister, took on the task on Monday, days after fellow veteran politician Saad Hariri threw in the towel.
Hariri gave up the post when he failed to reach an agreement with President Michel Aoun on a Cabinet.
Lebanon has not had a government since the previous Cabinet resigned following the deadly port explosion that rocked the capital of Beirut last August. Over 200 people were killed in the blast, which also left thousands injured and devastated much of the city.
Aoun tasked Hariri with forming a new government this past October. Hariri had previously served as Prime Minister, but resigned in 2019 following a wave of protests, which at times turned violent.
Mikati on Tuesday met with top political parties, including Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement founded by President Michel Aoun.
"There was unanimous agreement from all blocs and lawmakers on the need to speed up the process of cabinet formation," Mikati said after consultations ended.
In an interview with the An-Nahar newspaper, Mikati vowed his government would be "purely technical" and tasked with bridging the gap to elections due next year.
The designation of 65-year-old Mikati, Lebanon's richest man and to many a symbol of its corrupt oligarchy, was met with general skepticism.
A native of Tripoli, Lebanon's second city and one of its poorest, he was accused by a state prosecutor in 2019 of illicit enrichment, a charge he denies.
Mikati previously served as Lebanon’s Prime Minister from 2011 to 2014. In 2013, he resigned from the post citing divisions on several issues.